Lost computer equipment leads to porn charges for Jackson man

Thursday

Nude photos sent electronically by students to their classmates over a Rootstown school network were among images collected by a former school technology worker, a law enforcement source told GateHouse Media Ohio.

Andrew Shonk, a 36-year-old former technology coordinator at Rootstown schools — and up until last week an IT employee at Hudson City Schools — is being held in the Stark County Jail on 10 percent of a $1 million bond, charged with possessing child pornography.

Shonk, of Massillon, had his initial arraignment Thursday morning in Massillon Municipal Court. A Stark County grand jury also is considering felony charges, while the FBI continues to investigate the case, an agency spokeswoman said.

Two law enforcement sources said Shonk was discovered after placing a laptop computer and two digital storage devices atop his car and driving away.

The drives were turned over to Jackson Township police, who checked them and found multiple nude photographs of minors, sources said. Shonk later called police to ask if the items had been turned in as found property and was invited to retrieve them, the sources said.

Shonk is charged with pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material or performance, the same “exploitative” material Rootstown school officials said Tuesday involves area school-age children who attended the district.

Sexting, the sharing of sexually explicit photos or selfies, has become a significant issue for law enforcement and schools across America with the rise of smartphone use.

FBI investigation

Shonk stood quietly in court Thursday morning next to his attorney, C. Adam Carro, wearing an orange jail uniform and in handcuffs. If Shonk makes bond, his contact with computers, the internet and children will be limited, he was told in court.

FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson said the case is being investigated by the agency's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which is made up of multiple local and federal law enforcement agencies. She said Shonk initially was charged at the local level while the investigation continues into possible federal charges.

Anderson declined to confirm or describe the nature of the images due to the ongoing investigation.

A criminal complaint filed in Massillon Municipal Court alleges Shonk "did reproduce obscene material involving minors participating or engaging in sexual activity by downloading the material onto electronic equipment he owns," and also allegedly possessed "multiple images and videos of a minor … in states of nudity and obscene sexual acts."

Shonk "admitted to possessing the obscene material," a Jackson Township police detective wrote in the criminal complaint.

Shonk worked as a technology specialist and coordinator for the former Portage County Educational Service Center from 2006 to 2012, and was assigned to the Rootstown School District.

Portage County Sheriff David Doak also said Thursday his agency is not involved in the investigation. Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci could not be reached for comment.

Rootstown Superintendent Andrew Hawkins said Thursday he was contacted by the FBI "when the probe began about a week ago," but could not provide further details because it was an ongoing investigation.

Shonk resigned last week from his job as an assistant network manager for Hudson City Schools. School district officials said the incidents under investigation did not involve any Hudson students.

Hudson Superintendent Phil Her­man said the dis­trict was no­ti­fied of the FBI’s in­ves­ti­ga­tion June 25, and at the agency’s di­rec­tion did not notify par­ents un­til a week later.

Her­man said thus far there is no in­di­ca­tion any of the dis­trict’s com­put­ers or in­for­ma­tion sys­tems were com­pro­mised dur­ing Shonk’s em­ploy­ment in Hud­son. He said the dis­trict is look­ing into con­tract­ing with NEOnet, a tech­nol­ogy host site for schools, for a tech­nol­ogy se­cu­rity au­dit.